I was an co-Creative Director on the Dove Real Beauty pitch, which launched globally in 2004. Specifically I was responsible for pitching over a 12 country network.

Senior creatives were dispatched globally by Ogilvy and Mather internationally to explore the idea of a social impact campaign with Unilever, who has client offices in nearly every major country in the world.

Our task was to explore the notion of a body image campaign with individual clients in Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, England and beyond to achieve global client momentum to switch to a new campaign.  The previous campaign, “three quarter moisturizer” had been in effect for twenty odd years. 

Over the course of thousands of airline miles, language translators and meetings, and spec work, the global exec team helped build an agenda for a new global campaign.  The campaign was eventually worked on by hundreds of creatives, producers and photographers.

For me, the fairy tale was traveling to far-flung places and meeting people that challenged commercial notions of what advertising could be.  

Did you know that having kinky hair is the equivalent of being a plus-sized woman in Thailand?  Or that having a tan is considered manly in some countries?  Above:  Work produced by agency creatives in England & North America.

As a fairly young creative

Time Magazine: “Dove Wants Women to Define Beauty"

Ad Age: “Dove Real Beauty Seems To Be Again Well"

Harvard Business School Case Study (2019):

“Dove: Building a Brand with Purpose”

Dove Real Beauty website